There is a certain magic in the air in New York City around the holidays. Tourists can walk around and see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, the Radio City Rockettes or even Victor Wembanyama. Yes, that Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs star ingrained himself into the city on Saturday by playing chess with fans in Washington Square Park, taking advantage of some downtime after games against the Knicks and Nets.
Two hours after wrapping up a win in Brooklyn on Friday night, Wembanyama tweeted, “What are the best spots to play chess in NYC ??”
Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there
— Wemby (@wemby) December 28, 2024
By morning, he evidently got an answer that satisfied him. Wembanyama put out a call for fans to join him in Washington Square Park to play chess. “How will we know it’s you?” joked one social media user.
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Dozens of people showed up despite the rain, and some got the opportunity to play with the tallest man in the park.
Thanks for everyone who pulled up in the rain 😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/qblm9xzOfL
— Wemby (@wemby) December 28, 2024
😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/BsfLdGNICU
— 𝚁𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚛𝚔 🕸️ (@Rizark213) December 28, 2024
Video showed Wembanyama locked in on a game with one fan as a crowd watched.
A good day for chess ♟️ https://t.co/kdlYt9Nwgm pic.twitter.com/NY1f4HJcCy
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 28, 2024
Wembanyama has certainly earned the right to play chess in the park between games. The 20-year-old is averaging 29.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks over his last eight games, pulling the Spurs over .500. He’s on track to earn his first All-Star selection in February and remains favored to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Despite all of that early success, Wembanyama doesn’t look like someone who’s letting it get to his head. The Spurs don’t come back to New York this season, but he might have just started a new tradition for future Big Apple road trips.
MORE: Inside Victor Wembanyama’s eye-popping Christmas Day performance
Is Victor Wembanyama good at chess?
Wembanyama has plenty of interests outside of basketball, and he doesn’t keep them hidden despite dedicating so much of his time to the sport.
Also a huge Star Wars fan, Wembanyama has been open about his enjoyment of chess in the past.
“It’s something that makes the brain work a little bit,” Wembanyama told the San Antonio Express-News in February. “You have to adapt strategy and think about multiple actions and think two or three moves in the future.”
Wembanyama was pictured playing chess with Stanford star and Paris native Maxime Raynaud in September, so the game is clearly a habit for the reigning Rookie of the Year.
𝗦𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
Here’s Wemby- looking like he’s going to win in about 10 moves- playing chess against French big man, Maxime Raynaud who won gold as he led France in scoring at the 2023 FIBA Under 20 European Championships in Greece. Raynaud plays… pic.twitter.com/FceZB0k7qy— SpursRΞPORT (@SpursReporter) September 2, 2024
Whether Wembanyama is any good at chess is unknown, but come on — if he is that good at everything else he does, he’s likely perfected his craft on the chess board as well.
